Gramophone record sleeves



Feb. 17, 1970 '(5. D. BURCHER ET AL n 3495v765 GRAMOPHONE RECORD SLEEVES Feb. 17, 1970 DBURCHER ET L 3,495,765

GRAMOPHONE RECORD SLEEVES Filed July 26, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /zf /A y Feb. 17, 1970 D. BURCHER ET AL Y 3,495,765

GRAMOPHONE RECORD SLEEVES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 26, 1968 @f7 a /f /f ff/@22.7 @4M/Wm United States Patent O 3,495,765 GRAMOPHONE RECORD SLEEVES George D. Burcher, Marlow, and David G. Parker, Monks Risborough, England, assignors to Molins Machine Company Limited, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed July 26, 1968, Ser. No. 747,927 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Aug. 2, 1967, 35,516/ 67 Int. Cl. B65d 81/02 U.S. Cl. 229-68 7 'Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A Gramophone record sleeve formed from a first blank for one face having four side margins, three of which form spines and have portions which are overlapped by and secured to a square second blank for the other face, and also have reinforcement portions. The other side margin forms the remaining spine and closure fiap. Corners of the first blank are cut offat 45, thus simplifying the required knife form.

This invention relates to gramophone record sleeves.

According to the present invention there is provided a Gramophone record sleeve having four edges, a front and a back, a spine along each of its four edges and a closure flap, the sleeve being formed from a blank for the front, and a blank for the back which has integral therewith the four spines, one of the spines having integral therewith the closure ap, and the other three spines having integral therewith portions which are overlapped internally of the sleeve by side margins of the blank for the front of the sleeve and are secured thereto, the overlap portions having reinforcement portions integral therewith which are folded back at least on to the overlap portions and are secured thereto, the overlap portions being mitred so that their adjacent ends abut, the reinforcement portions being shorter than the overlap portions which are shorter than the spines, and the adjacent ends of adjacent spines of non-opening edges being joined by material which is folded into the interior of the sleeve.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a blank for one part of a Gramophone record sleeve, the blank having a substantially square portion to form one face of the sleeve, a spine portion defined by fold lines along each side of the square and integral therewith, a closure iiap integral with one of the spine portions, an overlap portion integral with each of the other spine portions to overlap the side margins of the other face of the sleeve to be formed by a further blank, a reinforcement portion separated from each of the overlap portions by a scored line, the corners of the blank remote from the closure flap being cut off along a substantially straight line at substantially 45 to the edges of the square at the ends of the outer edges of the spine portions so that the adjacent ends of adjacent overlap portions will be mitred together on folding the blank at 90 on the fold lines.

Each corner of the blank may be cut off along a substantially straight line at substantially 45 to the edges of the square at the ends of the outer edges of the spine portions, the triangle formed between the adjacent ends of the spine portions and the 45 corner line being removed at the ends of the closeure flap.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a method of forming a Gramophone record sleeve from a blank as defined above, comprising first folding the blank at 180 along the scored lines separating the reinforcement portions from the overlap portions, then folding the blank at 90 along each of the fold lines defining the spine portions so that the overlap portions lie Ace parallel to the square portion of the blank and are spaced therefrom the width of the spines, and the adjacent ends of adjacent overlap portions abut, and tucking into the sleeve the triangular portions between the adjacent ends of spine portions prior to completing the second folding operation.

The reinforcement portions may be wider than the overlap portions so as also to reinforce the spines or so as also to reinforce both the spines and the side margins of the square portion of the blank opposed to the overlap portions.

One embodiment of Gramophone record sleeve and blanks therefor according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIGURE l shows a blank having integral spine, overlap and reinforcement portions and a closure flap,

FIGURE 2 shows the blank of FIGURE l, after a first folding operation,

FIGURE 3 shows the blank of FIGURE l after a further folding operation,

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section through the completed sleeve,

FIGURE 5 is a detail of a corner of the blank shown in FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 6 shows a modification of the blank shown in FIGURE l, and

FIGURE 7 shows the modification after the lirst folding operation as shown in FIGURE 2.

The blank 10 shown in FIGURE 1 comprises a square portion 11 which in the finished sleeve will form one of the faces, and integral edge portions 12, 13, 14 and 15. The edge portions 12, 13 and 14 each comprise a spine portion 16 defined by fold lines 16A and 16B, an overlap portion 17 defined by the fold line 16B and a scored line 17A, and a reinforcement portion shown -generally at 18 and separated from the overlap portion by the scored line 17A and comprising three individual reinforcement portions 18A, 18B and 18C, the portion 18B being defined by scored lines 18D and 18E. The edge portion 15 comprises a similar spine portion 16 dehned by two fold lines, and a closure flap 19. Thus, the three edge portions 12, 13 and 14 form the three closed edges of the record sleeve, the edge portion 15 being provided at the openable edge.

Each corner of the blank 10 is cut off along a straight line 20 at 45 to the edges of the square portion 11. The location of the lines 20 at the corners between the edge portions 12 and 13 and between the edge portions 13 and 14 is such as to leave the spine portions of the same length as the adjacent side of the square 11 and with a triangular portion 21 therebetween remaining. At the corner between the edge portions 12 and 15 and the corner between the edge portions 15 and 14 the location of the line 20 is the same, but the triangular portion between the adjacent ends of the spines 16 is cut out. Thus it will be seen that the blank 10 is of a very simple configuration, the simple shape of the corners requiring only a simple knife form to produce.

In FIGURE 2 the blank 10 is shown with the reinforcement portions 18 folded down along the scored line 17A with the reinforcement portions 18A, 18B and 18C coinciding with the overlap portion 17, the spine portion 16 and the side margin of the square 11 respectively. The scored lines 18E and 18D coincide with the fold lines 16A and 16B respectively.

In FIGURE 3 the edge portions 12, 13and 14 are folded from the position shown in FIGURE 2 by first folding through about the coincident lines 18E and 16A to bring the spine portions 16 and the portions 17, 18A and 18B at right angles to the square portion 11 and the portion 18C, and by folding the edge portion through 3 90 about the line 16A and then folding the closure ap 19 down through a further 90 about the line 16B- Whilst the first folding operation in the transition from the FIGURE 2 form to the FIGURE 3 form is being carried out the two triangular portions 21 are pushed inwards so that when the second folding operation is carried out these triangular portions are `folded in two and project into the interior of the sleeve.

A further blank 22 to form the other face of the sleeve and in the form of a square of substantially the same size as the square portion 11 is then secured by adhesive to the portions 17 of the blank 10.

A section through the completed sleeve is shown in FIGURE 4. It will be seen how the reinforcing portion 18 has been folded into U section so that the overlapped portion 17, the spine portion 16 and the side margin of the square portion 11 are reinforced by the portions 18A, 18B and 18C respectively.

FIGURE 5 shows a corner of the blank 10 just before it has been folded into the form shown in FIGURE 3. It will be seen how a triangular portion 21 folds in two and projects into the interior of the sleeve. When the sleeve is completed by application of the further blank 22 these inwardly projecting portions 21 seal off the corners of the sleeve and also strengthen them.

It will be appreciated that before the reinforcing portions 18 are folded down on to the blank as shown in FIG- URE 2 adhesive may be applied to all or part of the surfaces which are being brought together.

It will be noted that due to the corners of the blank being 'formed each by a single straight line 20 the reinforcement portions are tapered at their ends and are shorter than the overlap portions which are shorter than the spines. However, the reinforcement is needed only near the mid regions of each of the sides because it is only at the regions that the edge of the record will need to be restrained. From FIGURE 3 it will be seen that the adjacent ends of adjacent overlap portions are mitred together.

Thus a very simple form of blank requiring only a simple knife form to produce the corners results in a sleeve which is reinforced where necessary and has sealed and strengthened corners.

If required, the reinforcement portions 18B and 18C could be omitted.

FIGURE 6 shows the top left hand corner of a blank 110 similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 except that the reinforcement portion, shown generally at 118, is longer. The top right hand portion of the blank has a similarly extended reinforcement portion. The two bottom corners of the blank are the same as shown in FIGURE l. The same numerals will be used for parts identical to those in FIGURE 1. Thus. the spines 16, the closure flap 19. the overlap portion 17, the fold lines 16A and 16B and the scored line 17A are the same as in the blank 10 of FIG- URE l. The overlap reinforcement portion 118A, the spine reinforcement portion 118B and the reinforcement portion 118C correspond to the portions 18A. 18B and 18C respectively of FIGURE l. and the fold lines 118D and 118B correspond to the fold lines 18D and 18E respectivelv of FIGURE 1.

The difference is that, instead of each top corner being cut off along a straight line at 45 to the edges of the square 11 which extends right across the corner, this 45 line 120 terminates at the scored line 17A. The top end of the portion 118A is cut off along a line 120A at 90 to the line 120. the top of the spine reinforcement portion 118B is cut o at right angles at 120B, and the portion 118C is cut off along a line 120C parallel with the line 120.

The method of forming the sleeve from the blank is as previously described.

When the reinforcement portion 118 is folded down along the scored line 17A the result is seen in FIGURE 7, which may be compared with FIGURE 2. As will be seen, the overlap portion 17 and the spine 16 are reinforced to their ends. Thus, although the knife form for producing the top corners is somewhat more complicated than for the blank 10, the top corners, i.ethe ends of the openable edge, of the completed sleeve are stiffer.

It will be appreciated that in the above description of the blanks 10 and 110 the effect on the folding operation of the thickness of the material of the blank has been ignored. Thus, the spacing of the lines defining the various reinforcement portions will not be exactly the same as the spacing of the lines defining the parts being reinforced. Thus the spine reinforcement portion 18B, or 118B, will be somewhat narrower than the spine portion 16. This can be seen in FIGURE 4.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A Gramophone record sleeve having four edges, a front and a back, a spine along each of its four edges and a closure flap, the sleeve comprising a blank for the front and a blank for the back which has integral therewith the four spines, one of the spines having integral therewith the closure flap, and the other three spines having integral therewith portions which are overlapped internally of the sleeve by side margins of the blank for the front of the sleeve and are secured thereto, the overlap portions having reinforcement portions integral therewith which are folded back at least on to the overlap portions and are secured thereto, the two corners of the blank for the back remote from the closure flap each being cut olf along a single substantially straight line at 45 to the spines, and passing through the outer corners of the adjacent spines, to leave a triangular portion between the ends of the adjacent spines at each of the two corners, so that the overlap portions are mitred and so that their ends abut, the triangular portions of the blank for the back being folded into the interior of the sleeve.

2. A blank for one part of a Gramophone record sleeve comprising a substantially square portion to form one face of the sleeve, a spine portion along each side of the square, said spine being defined by supstantially parallel fold lines, the ends of each of said spine portions being defined by the fold line between the square portion and cach of the adjacent spine portions, a closure ap integral with one of the spine portions and defined by one of said fold lines and the edge of the blank, an overlap portion integral with each of the other spine portions for overlapping side margins of a further blank constituting the other face of the sleeve and defined by one of said fold lines and a substantially parallel score line, a reinforcement portion separated from each of the overlap portions by said scored line, each of the corners of the blank remote from the closure ap being cut off along a substantially straight line at substantially 45 to said fold lines, said line passing through points dened by the fold lines on the sides of said scores remote from the square portion and the ends of the spines to leave a triangular portion between the ends of the adjacent spines, whereby the adjacent ends of adjacent overlap portions will be mitred together on folding the blank on the fold lines and the triangular portions are folded into the interior of the sleeve.

3. A blank as claimed in claim 2 wherein each corner of the blank at the ends of the closure flap is cut off along a substantially straight line at substantially 45 to said fold lines, said lines passing through points defined by the fold lines on the side of said scores remote from the square portion and the ends of the spines, the triangle formed between the adjacent ends of the spine portions and the 45 corner line being removed at the ends of the closure ap.

4. A blank as claimed in claim 3 wherein the reinforcement portions are wider than the overlap portions.

S. A Gramophone record sleeve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spines are at right angles with respect to the central part of said blank for the back.

6. A Gramophone record sleeve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said reinforcement portions are folded back and secured to the overlap portions, the spines, and parts of the blank adjacent the spines.

7. A blank for one part of a Gramophone record sleeve as claimed in claim 2 wherein said reinforcement p01'- tion comprises three parallel sections defined by further fold lines corresponding substantially in Width to the overlap portions, the spine portions and a part of the square portion respectively.

6 References Cited 5 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

